The Stolen Kiss
by Spider9x
Summary: She opened her eyes with a start, her heart continued pounding furiously. There was no one beside her. Updated! Haruhi falls asleep in the music room and someone steals a kiss. Detective Haruhi Fujioka is determined to identify the culprit... at all cost.
1. Chapter 1

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary:** Haruhi falls asleep in the music room and someone steals a kiss. Detective Haruhi Fujioka is determined to identify the culprit... at all cost.

**Disclaimer: **Bisco owns all these characters. I got the idea for this story from a shoujo manga i read last year.. will put up the title of the manga once i find it again =)

**Chapter 1**

As a girl who grew up making her own meals and worrying about her father most of the time, Haruhi had never given much thought as to how her romance life, or more specifically, first kiss, would be like. Until the incident where a twist of fate saw her losing the kiss to Kanako, she had given it very little thought indeed.

Looking back, she thought that the whole incident was comical, with Tamaki flailing his arms in horror like a headless chicken, Kyoya scheming money revenues with the very nicely taken photo, the Twins' endless teasing and Honey... Well his curiosity had been overwhelming and he had insisted on being lifted up by an indifferent Mori to get a better view that day.

As for Haruhi herself, the experience of having mouth to mouth contact with another individual, though unintentional, had been close to what she used to imagine as a child after reading stories of princesses with their princes- chaste and dashed with an element of surprise.

Though definitely not with a female senpai, nor under so many pairs of watching eyes.

Smiling slightly, Haruhi strolled down the hallway slowly while admiring the beautiful shadows the full length windows made on the marble ground as the afternoon sun fell through the well polished glass.

The school was everything a top rated hotel should be and it made sense since Ouran High School was more of a net working community exploited by the future leaders of the political and economic spheres rather than a school purely for studying.

Though Haruhi did not approve of the flashy facilities, she had gotten used to them slowly over the months and found joy in the beauty of some. The spacious library was one of them, where Haruhi could always find a quiet corner to study no matter how crowded the library was. Not to mention the vast quantity of books available for borrowing.

Still, many school features were way over the top, such as a fountain spanning half a foot ball field in length with a gigantic statue of the headmaster in the middle, or having colossal gardens of varying themes in every wing of the school compound. It was a miracle how students manage not to lose their way in the school.

Haruhi sighed, transferred her books to her left arm and opened the door to the Third Music Room, using the key Tamaki had presented to her with a flourish the day before.

It had taken nothing less than a full hour as Tamaki rambled on about the heartfelt emotions of a father passing the key to his grown up and responsible daughter, much to Haruhi's dismay at having gained another over attentive 'father'. It wasn't until Haruhi had threatened to throw the key down the first drain she came across that Tamaki reluctantly let her go for the day.

The music room was empty, as she had anticipated. The third and second years were having examinations that day and would be released later at three in the afternoon. The twins had disappeared quietly after class ended, leaving Haruhi to make her way to the music room alone.

Entering the prestigious Ouran High School, on the contrary, had not allowed our heroine to be swept off her feet by rich, gentlemanly, cultivated,( in general, any word which opposes poor and uncivilized) Class A male students. Perhaps her dressing up as a male and working in the host club entertaining pseudo princesses accounted for the lack of suitors.

Suitors out of the host club.

The presence of suitors within the host club itself was another matter entirely which Haruhi chose to pay minimal attention to because she saw no reason to complicate matters since she was there mainly to pay off an enormous debt which seemed to increase exponentially by the day. Plus the bunch of hosts was always flirting with their mesmerised customers; there was no distinction between genuine attraction and playful flirting.

That was, if Haruhi was even alert enough to detect any trace of interest at all.

On the other hand, confessions from adoring female admirers were something Haruhi learnt to manage because of the frequent occurrences, around thrice a month due to her fans being the earnest but shy kind.

Haruhi glanced around the empty room for a moment before taking a seat on the couch facing the window in the left wing of the ridiculously huge Third Music Room, beside the grand piano. It was a peaceful corner with a great view of the academy's outrageously magnificent orchid garden in full bloom.

She ought to be tidying up the room and preparing tea but decided that those could wait till the others came. Kyoya would have chosen a specific brew of tea or coffee to suit the theme for that day and Haruhi did not want to foil his flawless plans by preparing the wrong kind of refreshments.

Leaning back on the comfortable Victorian style couch, Haruhi selected her Japanese History textbook from the pile she was carrying and started reading. She had an hour before the seniors arrive and another thirty minutes or so before the customers started flooding in so it was a good time to get some studying done.

Alas, the consecutive late nights, spent rushing class assignments due to club activities taking up too much time, inevitably started to take their toll on Haruhi. Much as Haruhi wished to study in advance for the test in the coming week, the heavy lunch she ate and the dreary warlords made it extremely hard for the already tired girl to stay awake.

She blinked hard, closed her eyes for a few seconds and opened them slowly before finally giving in to sleep as her heavy eyelids closed once more over her unfocused eyes.

Time seemed to pass erratically.

In her half conscious state, Haruhi did not sense a figure quietly approaching the couch and stopping in front of her. Nor did she stir from the feather light caresses smoothing out her ruffled hair. The figure bent towards Haruhi hesitantly.

However, she did feel a slight pressure when something unbelievably soft pressed against her lips tenderly. A warm hand was beneath her chin, supporting her head. The warmth seeped across her cheeks and gradually towards her limbs until she could feel a tingling sensation in in her toes.

Someone's breath tickled her face.

And then it was over, lasting for too short a second.

Haruhi opened her eyes with a start, her heart still pounding furiously. There was no one beside her and the wing was empty. There were voices coming from the main room so the senpais must have arrived already. A glance at the clock informed Haruhi that it was five past three and that she had been dozing for an hour.

Walking out of the piano room, Honey was the first person Haruhi encountered.

"Usa-chan is looking especially cute today!" referring to the pink bow which was tied around the rabbit's left ear, Honey danced around and gave his favourite possession a peck on the nose while emitting imaginary flowers the entire time.

Mori followed closely behind, most probably worried that his cousin would knock into a chair and fall.

"Mori senpai," Haruhi tried not to show her distress, "Did you happen to see anyone come out of the piano room just now?"

Mori replied in his deep rumbling voice that he had not. He looked thoughtfully at Haruhi for a moment before turning back to Honey. Haruhi could have sworn she saw him look at her lips and that made her blush despite her discomfort.

Tamaki was in a very familiar position, squatting at a dark corner and poking at mushrooms he had grown while mumbling, "But I wanted the detective theme today.. Kyoya is a baddie..."

"Oh, you've finally woken up?" Haruhi almost jumped when Kyoya spoke right at her ear.

"K-kyoya senpai!" Haruhi looked up at Kyoya. Had he always smiled like that? He seemed to be teasing her. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Nothing much, I have prepared almost everything. No harm in washing your face though, Haruhi. You're looking a bit flustered."

Just then, the twins burst through the door. Kaoru was dragging a blushing Hikaru into the room.

Kaoru gazed at Haruhi and gave her a wink. "We're sorry for leaving so suddenly just now, Kyoya senpai." he addressed the bespectacled senior. Hikaru just grinned weakly.

Haruhi stared at the people in the Third Music Room.

_Just.. who was it?_

**~To be continued~**

**A/N:** Hello guys! Thanks for taking time to read this story and please drop review to let me know what you think i can improve on. Once again, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it =)


	2. Chapter 2

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary: **Haruhi mulls over things during club activities and Honey reveals a shocking piece of information. At least, I hope it's surprising. -embarrassed laugh-

**Disclaimer: **As usual, all characters belong to Bisco. Takanori is just a one timer so ignore her. The shoujo manga I mentioned previously goes by the name of Boku wa Kisu de Uso wo Tsuku.

**Chapter 2**

Despite Haruhi's unsolved mystery, club activities continued and she soon found herself busy serving tea and delicacies to the patrons. Including those of the other hosts. It seemed like her status as the dog of the host club was not completely erased even with her promotion.

Haruhi smiled and seated herself across coffee table, "Hello, Takanori-san. I'm really happy to see you here today."

"Y-yes, Fujioka-kun." The blushing girl replied and looked shyly up at Haruhi. "I'm glad to see you too."

Why some of her female classmates always stayed away during class, only watching her from afar, but designated her as their host after school was something Haruhi could not comprehend. Was she so unapproachable during school hours?

Perhaps the twins buzzing around her like mosquitoes had something to do with it. They were notorious for being unaccepting of newcomers but it had gotten better, or so she had heard from the seniors. Still, the fear of being rejected must be one of the reasons which prevented some of her classmates from speaking to her normally.

She made up her mind to smile more at the classmates who show such contrary behavior. Haruhi deemed it a waste to spend good money on what they could have gotten for free. The money could have been spent on more worthy items.. like a new mechanical pencil or fatty tuna.

Not that the refreshments served at the host club weren't good, Haruhi eyed the dainty looking rose jelly her patron was nibbling and felt her stomach growl in response.

The theme for that day was flora fantasy where each customer received a bouquet of flower of their choice. Naturally, the refreshments were also categorised accordingly to the ingredients they were made from. The rose jelly, no doubt, contained only the finest rose petals imported from Ecuador and cost no less than a bouquet of roses at the very least.

"Would you... like to eat something, Fujioka-kun?"

It was considered impolite to consume food in front of the customers. Of course, in the case of Hikaru and Kaoru feeding each other in order to display their forbidden brotherly love, exceptions were made. Similarly for Honey because most of his patrons were happily paying just to squeal and faint while watching him eat cakes.

"Oh no, Takanori-san. I was just admiring the beautiful shade of red. Don't you think it's exactly the colour of a girl's cheeks when she blushes?"

The poor girl was defenseless against Haruhi's natural charm and coloured up, to the extent of frying her brain till it evaporated from her ears.

Haruhi wondered if her own face was the colour of the rose jelly after she had woken up after the kiss.

The mysterious kiss. Or rather, the kiss from a mysterious person. It could be any of the host club members, since they were all present in the Third Music Room when she rushed out to the main activity room in hope of catching the perpetrator.

At least she had narrowed the suspects down from the entire Ouran male population or female fans to just the host club members. Haruhi shuddered to think about what would have happened if she had been kissed in the library instead.

However, knowing that the deed was done by a host club member did not quite put Haruhi at ease. Fairy tales always ended happily with a kiss between the prince and princess but none spoke about the awkwardness after that.

Unknowingly, Haruhi was experiencing a different kind of post-first-kiss symptom, though it was technically her second. It was the first time since studying at Ouran that she felt so self conscious and aware of the host club members.

She couldn't deny, albeit silently, that she had enjoyed the tingling sensation during the kiss but at the same time, waking up from the absurdity of it all was so embarrassing. In this case, it was also frustrating because no one had owned up, and they all gave off a guilty vibe when spoken to.

Being as dense as Osmium regarding affairs of the heart, second only to Tamaki, Haruhi was convinced that it was the fear of being 'violated' unaware which caused her frustration.

As for her desire to identify the mysterious person, Haruhi dismissed it as one of curiosity and annoyance. The possibility of any romantic interest was still too foreign for Haruhi to understand and acknowledge without external prompting.

_Fine, if that's what you want, I'll try my best to play along! _

Haruhi was not one to back down from a challenge especially if she had the right to know.

As if on cue, a sudden flash of light at the corner of her eye alerted Haruhi to her surroundings. Her eyes met Kyoya's and Haruhi realised that it must have been the reflection from his glasses. She caught a look of slight disapproval on Kyoya's face before it disappeared behind his smile as he resumed his conversation with his group of devotees.

_I guess I should stop speculating and get back to work. _Haruhi took a sip of her fragrant hibiscus tea. She could not eat while hosting but drinking, at least, she was entitled to.

-o-

It was time to leave.

Finally, after spending ages picking up every single flower petals which had been blown about by a stage fan to create the illusion of a dramatic welcome whenever the door opened. So much for visual effects at the stylish Host Club.

Tamaki started to make a lenghty speech about the beauty of flowers and other pointless topics such as his craving for sweet potatoes and porridge.

"You have a petal in your hair," Haruhi absently-mindedly reached out and picked off the blue petal, most probably from a Delphinium. She did it carefully so as not to uproot any stray strands.

There was a pregnant pause.

"Ha-ha--" Was that Tamaki's face or a ripe tomato?

"HA-RU-HII~" the said person was swung around and almost choked to death in a bear hug by her 'father'.

"You're becoming more and more like my ideal daughter every day!!" Haruhi made an urgent mental note to review her behavior towards Tamaki for the past few days, and avoid a repeat at all cost.

She thought lamely._ This doofus couldn't have been the one back there. He would have pinched my cheeks or taken a picture and framed it up in his room._

All of a sudden, Haruhi felt a pair of hands grab her shoulders, pulling her back into another warm embrace. It was so much easier to breathe when her lungs weren't constricted by an external force. She looked up, it was Kaoru. He grinned at her assuringly, almost possessively.

"Sorry Tono, but we won't allow you to keep Haruhi for yourself!"

Meanwhile, Hikaru and Tamaki were wrestling, or trying their best to, which mainly consisted of moves like twisting the opponent's head and for Tamaki's case, ticking the enemy.

"Kyoya! Mori! I command you to come to your king's aid right now!"

Neither moved. Honey, with a jasmine sugar puff in hand, was enjoying the show and Mori was not going to spoil it. Kyoya continued typing furiously on his laptop.

It ended with Tamaki in his favourite agricultural corner, heart-broken at being ignored by his minions. Not for long though, as Kyoya chased the host club members out of the Third Music Room.

"Haru-chan! Did you enjoy the cakies today?"

"The tea was very good."

Haruhi had not eaten any of the delicacies and her stomach was suffering because of it. She smiled at the delightful boy who was oozing cuteness even as he ran towards her. Mori followed slowly some distance away.

"You know, Haru-chan~" Honey whispered and lifted Usa-chan up with both arms.

He playfully tapped the rabbit's forever smiling mouth against Haruhi's lips. "I know who did it!"

~To be continued~

**A/N: **I hope this chapter satisfied you guys =D A million thanks to all who took time to read/ review/ add this story to favourites or alerts! It's a great motivation to know that people are reading and enjoying my stories.

Please leave me a review! -hugs-


	3. Chapter 3

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary: **The long overdue analysis of each suspect. Haruhi keeps getting interrupted in the middle of her sentences, especially near the end of the chapter.

**Chapter 3**

She had studied ahead and understood fully the contents for the next few lectures. The weekly tests should not be much of a problem.

So with her History textbook and notes sprawled on the table, Haruhi allowed her mind to wonder to the events during the day. She had been kissed in the Third Music Room by an unknown host club member after falling asleep on the couch.

The whole experience was still fresh in her mind, making Haruhi's heart pound whenever she recalled the pleasantly electrifying feeling of the gentle but brief contact.

Haruhi bit her lips thoughtfully and shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind of all the questions. The encounter with Honey, unfortunately, did not bring an end to the bugging mystery. It did, however, prompt Haruhi to re-examine the behaviour each of her fellow club members.

Right on top of the list of suspects was the shadow king, Kyoya.

The expression on his face when suggesting that Haruhi washed her face was definitely a smirk, as if he knew something important which she did not.

Then again, he most certainly did, the Otori had an eye for details and recorded every piece of information down in his black diary. She wouldn't be surprised if Kyoya had already noted down every single move she made after the incident. Still, he was not the kind of person to play such a prank especially since Haruhi would never pay him to kiss or agitate her.

Haruhi pondered for a moment, fingers tapping a random rhythm on the table.

Monetary benefits aside, the only reason why Kyoya would want to kiss her would be to subsequently maintain the smart genes in the gene pool...

Her thoughts trailed off and Haruhi mentally smacked herself for even coming up with such an explanation - Kyoya was not as uncaring as he seemed, Haruhi was aware of it and she had seen him more than once, go out of his way to help others. For someone who keeps up his facade even in front of his family and close acquaintances, that was a definite proof of Kyoya's rarely seen, caring and un-profit driven side.

Next was Mori. Haruhi did not want to consider him as one of the suspects because Mori seemed like the kind who would only get himself a girlfriend after Honey had settled down with a wife and a kid. (or a pet rabbit)

However, while Honey had witnessed the incident, Mori claimed to have not seen anyone leave the piano room despite staying close to Honey all the time. To Haruhi, that was highly suspicious. There was no reason for Mori to lie, unless it was to cover up for someone... or possibly himself.

_Tamaki_. Haruhi sighed. She should never have volunteered to remove the stray petal on his head but left him to look like the idiot he was. The whole fiasco delayed her journey home by a good ten minutes. Though the disappointed look (also called the kicked puppy expression) on Tamaki's face when she rejected his offer to give her a ride home was strangely upsetting.

She idly wondered how Tamaki would react if he knew about her being kissed on the sly. Provided he was not the one who did it, of course.

As for Hikaru, his obvious change in behavior was a cause for worry as much as suspicion.

Though Haruhi was not in the calmest state of mind when she saw him again during club activities, Hikaru's discomfort did not go unnoticed. He had been acting elusive since the morning itself and Kaoru also appeared to be hiding something.

Allowing Haruhi to proceed alone to the Third Music Room that day was already a fairly good indication that something was amiss since the twins had always escorted her there, chatting the entire way.

The embrace Kaoru had given her after Tamaki's 'assault' felt different from the usual ones, somehow. Haruhi was accustomed to the twins being touchy-feely around her but they always did it together, as a pair.

While the 'attack' on Tamaki a few hours before qualified as a combo attack, there was no need for Kaoru to hold on to her so tightly, was there? Nor did he have to keep his arms around her the entire time Hikaru and Tamaki wrestling, or more accurately, making fools out of themselves.

The twins were the most likely people in the host club to play such a trick. It might even be a more 'interactive' version of the 'Guess who is Hikaru' game where one was supposed to identify the twins through a kiss, blindfolded.

Haruhi tried not to think about how the game would become an instant hit among the girls in the school.

Back to the problem at hand, the conversation with Honey had actually disturbed Haruhi far more than the identity of the mysterious person.

-What happened then-

"How did you know?" Haruhi was barely able to conceal her surprise and her question sounded almost rude.

"I saw _him_, of course~" Honey hugged Usa-chan and peered up at Haruhi from in between the pink furry ears, "The others will not be happy about it!"

"Who was.. it?"

"Not telling! Ne, Haru-chan, you have got to figure it out yourself~"

"But I can't possibly ask each of them," No, she was not going to announce her second kiss to the entire host club just to find out who did it.

Honey pouted cutely, "You know, Haru-chan, I think you already have someone in mind."

"I... don't."

"But your actions seem to show otherwise."

Mori was approaching and Honey conveniently jumped onto Mori's back as he walked past, leaving Haruhi blinking in the corridor.

"Think hard ne, Haru-chan! Usa-chan and I will be cheering you on~~" the blond boy waved enthusiastically from Mori's retreating profile.

-o-

_Your actions seem to show otherwise_

Was it her touching Tamaki's head? Or stuttering in front of Kyoya? She did blush when Mori spoke to her earlier and allowed Kaoru to hug her for longer than necessary. Haruhi would normally have shrugged off the hug after three seconds but she did not do that.

_Just what am I planning to do once I discover who he is? I don't think it's worth the trouble anymore - _thought Haruhi. She slammed her books shut and prepared for bed.

-o-

It was a windy and cloudy day, the kind which only appeared in movies and shoujo manga where the female protagonist meets her crush and he confesses.

Exactly what Haruhi needed to emphasize the contrast with her down right terrible mood.

"Good morning Haruhi!" Hikaru and Kaoru greeted her together as they sat down at the tables on her left and right respectively.

"... Morning."

"You didn't sleep well?" Kaoru peered at Haruhi's face as she stifled a yawn.

_You wouldn't too, if you had dreamt about warlords kissing their pet rabbits and eating rose jellies- _Haruhi thought sullenly. She nodded.

Hikaru tilted Haruhi's head up with his index finger under her chin and touched the faint trace of shadow etched under her eyes. "You look tired, Haruhi."

She jerked her head and pushed his hands away instantly. "Don't touch me please, Hikaru."

Hurt registered itself on Hikaru's face, a painful dose.

The teacher walked in and all conversations or attempts at apologising were brought to a halt.

-o-

Haruhi was experiencing extreme guilt for her curt behaviour towards Hikaru. She had noticed his affliction and Kaoru kept glancing at his twin over her head throughout the lessons.

Rather than annoy Haruhi, Hikaru's actions had, in actual fact, caused an acceleration in her heart rate. Her hands then acted in reflex for some unknown reason.

_At least Hikaru's not acting strangely today._

A solid package appeared on her table. Haruhi looked up to see Hikaru in front of her desk. He had a tinge red of on his cheeks and avoided eye contact.

"These are dried lavender flowers and leaves which can be made into tea instantly."

Haruhi stared at the package and blinked dumbly.

"Improves the quality of sleep too, if you drink it before turning in." He added.

"Thanks Hikaru" She smiled. "About earlier, I didn't mean to-"

Hikaru had left the classroom after finishing his speech.

Haruhi considered the extent of her hunger and decided that apologising to Hikaru was more important, there was thirty minutes more of break before lessons resumed. Leaving the gift on the desk, she dashed out of the classroom.

There was no sign of the elder twin anywhere. Panting a little, Haruhi stopped her pursue and rested with her hand against the wall.

"Did he apologise?"

"Kaoru! I wanted to apologise for my behaviour earlier but he ran off before I had a chance to thank him for the tea or explain."

"I thought so." Kaoru sighed and walked towards Haruhi. "Always the rash one, we specially rushed off yesterday after school to select the best lavenders to be packed into the tea bags."

"Thank you so much! There was no need to go through so much trouble actually-"

"What if I told you that I was the one who kissed you?"

"You?" Haruhi's eyes widened and she examined the face of the boy standing in front of her.

Kaoru's mouth was curled up at the edges in a playful smile but his golden brown eyes were deeply earnest.

Haruhi's question regarding Kaoru's agenda was left hanging, half asked, when he placed his hands by the sides of her face, fingers touching her ears and leaned in for a kiss.

**~To be continued~**

**A/N:** Right, the time now is 1.10am. Isn't this just the perfect place to end the chapter XD Please review! Thanks for sticking with me till now, love you guys =)

The next update, i regret to say, will not be so soon because i will be serving customers or collecting money at the counter aka working!


	4. Chapter 4

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary: **Haruhi finds out who it was in this chapter... NOT. Hahaha

**Chapter 4**

Haruhi had once watched a horror movie when she was many years younger, together with Ranka as part of his random, unnecessary and useless father-daughter bonding sessions. His intention was to have a frightened and crying Haruhi jump into his arms for protection when the monsters showed up.

As the first time viewing a movie of such genre, Haruhi had been horrified by the wailing ghosts; enough to get nightmares for a few days straight. However, along with the fear came a morbid curiosity and interest to see what happens. The excitement of a new experience as well as her desire to not miss any part of the creepy plot regarding the vengeful spirit and it's victims significantly overrode her childish fears and suppressible reflexes to look away.

Unfortunately for Ranka, the last thought on her mind was to jump into her equally frightened father's ever open abeit shaking arms.

Haruhi remembered how she had wanted to switch the television off, or cover her eyes with her hands but she would definitely be tempted to peek from her fingers. She chose to watch the whole movie while sitting on her hands instead.

-

_Haruhi's question regarding Kaoru's agenda was left hanging, half asked, when he placed his hands by the sides of her face, fingers touching her ears and leaned in for a kiss._

With his slightly parted lips only inches away from Haruhi's, Kaoru paused. They were still looking into each others' eyes. Haruhi closed her eyes first, unable to hold Kaoru's intense gaze during such an awkward situation.

He took her silence as consent and lightly brushed his lips against hers. Hesitantly at first, then lingering a while longer during the second time. Deepening the kiss, Kaoru moved his right hand briefly over her ear, tucking in a stray lock at the same time. He playfully ran his fingers down her neck and held his palm against her back.

Despite his lack of experiences regarding such matters, Kaoru could tell that there was an obvious lack of response from the other party. Kaoru licked his lips uncertainly and opened his eyes only to see Haruhi with a slight crease between her brows. As if she was thinking hard about something with her eyes closed in concentration.

He studied her pale eyelids and the eye movement beneath them, "What are you thinking about?"

Haruhi opened her eyes with a start and blinked a few times before answering.

"I was thinking..." She looked at Kaoru in the eye, tilting her head, "that this feels different."

Kaoru took a little step back to observe the girl, keeping his hands on her shoulders. Haruhi's lips were cherry red with a trace of moisture, most probably from the kiss. She neither seemed angry nor embarrassed, though the moderately clenched fists by her sides betrayed her nervousness.

"Were you really the one who kissed me?"

"Well, I just did." A sly smile was playing on Kaoru's lips.

The pattering of shoes against marble tiles and buzzing of voices approaching the corridor took away what little privacy they had. Students were returning to their respective classes; the bell was due to ring in a few minutes time.

They walked back to the classroom in silence surrounded by chattering students. Hikaru was already at his seat, waiting impatiently for their return.

"Kaoru! Haruhi! What took you so long? I couldn't find any of you anywhere!" He grinned at them.

Kaoru gave his elder twin a high five over Haruhi's head.

_Hika, you've had your chance and possibly many more in the future. I'm sorry but I couldn't just sit around without even trying. _

He watched as Hikaru smiled sheepishly at Haruhi.

_Still, I will always be on your side no matter what happens._

-o-

Ouran High School's only cross-dressing female scholar sat in the library alone. She needed some time to digest all that had happened in just two days. It was like an soap opera taking place in real life and there were many hours before the second day even came close to ending.

Haruhi knew better than to hope for a peaceful afternoon in the library.

A figure loomed over her from the back, obstructing the light and throwing a shadow over Haruhi's open book on the table. The shadow did not shift even after Haruhi fidgited in her sit in annoyance.

"Hikaru, or even Tamaki senpai, if this is a joke you have in mind by depriving me of my reading light, it's not funny!"

"Hn.." She recognised the voice, and it definitely did not belong to the twins or Tamaki.

Haruhi whipped her head around and almost got a crink in her neck from the sudden motion.

Mori stood stiffly behind her chair, craddling an enormous pile of books in his left arm.

"Mori senpai!" Haruhi exclaimed, realising that both Tamaki or Hikaru probably wouldn't have simply stood silently behind her, satisfied with tiring her eyes by making her read in an environment with insufficient light.

"May I take a sit here?" Mori lowered himself stiffly onto the adjacent chair as Haruhi nodded in puzzlement.

For almost five minutes, the both of them turned back to their books, seemingly engrossed in the texts. There was no one else in the library except for the librarian, no sound to be heard except for the occasional rustling of paper against one another as the two hosts turned the pages of their books.

It was Mori who broke the silence.

"Fujioka-san" His voice was so low and quiet, almost out of the frequency range which humans are capable of detecting. Haruhi glanced up from her book, unsure if she had been called or not.

Mori usually had two expressions which he used frequently. One was the stoic look which always he wore when he went about doing mundane things like studying, hosting or giving Honey piggy backs.

The other one was the especially gentle smile reserved only for occasions like rejecting confessions or when Honey was being an especially good boy by brushing his teeth voluntarily after every meal.

Not forgetting the latest expression which started to appear after Kasanoda turned up at the host club, Haruhi had categorised it under ' violently distraught' and the most recent occasion Mori had utilized it was when Honey defeated Chika on that windy field, choosing cakes over his brother.

Mori's current expression startled her. It was a mixture between the usual blank face and an unidentifiable emotion which made him appear slightly upset. For a person with painfully limited expressions, Mori was making it surprisingly hard for Haruhi to read his face, not that she was very good at it in general anyway.

"What do you think of me?" He asked softly.

If anyone had posed such a question to Haruhi a few years back, she would have taken the question literally and assumed that the person was in need of some comforting. Her reply would have been along the lines of pointing out the person's good points along with a reassuring pat on the back. Arai had been an unfortunate victim of her hopeless interpretation of such questions.

However, the recent events have alerted Haruhi to the fact that her relationships with the host club members might not be as platonic as she liked, and it was really hard for her to feign ignorance when they chose not to remain passive.

Choosing her words carefully, Haruhi answered haltingly.

"Mori-senpai is really caring and helpful to others..."

Haruhi kept her gaze low, focusing on a random point of the book Mori held closed on the table.

"Anyway, you are a nice guy and I am really honoured to have you as a friend." She finished lamely.

"..... I'm glad to hear that." Haruhi looked at Mori's neutral expression and had little choice but to give him the benefit of the doubt.

They sat there for a few more seconds in silence with Haruhi still analysing the book Mori was reading. Haruhi discovered something strange and at the same time, she heard Mori let out an extra large breath of air, as if he had been holding his breath. No doubt a (manly) sigh of relief.

"Mori-senpai," She started, unsure of how to phrase her discovery. "I am a little surprised to see you with such a book."

Mori looked down at the book he was holding, the title read 'Love Feud', with a racy illustration of a couple kissing on the cover.

Much to Mori's embarrassment, though he did not show it, the stack of books he had placed on the table consisted other romance novels as well as the first two volumes of Outlaws Of The Marsh, printed entirely in traditional Chinese.

An unspoken 'whoops' echoed heavily in the air as Mori solemnly pushed the pile of books away from himself. He then looked gravely at them without speaking.

Haruhi found his actions extremely hilarious and was in hysterics, clutching at her sides with tears in her eyes. It was as comical as the time when the Lobelia girls had visited for the first time and the host club dressed up as princesses (and the lone prince for Mori's case) in a ridiculous attempt to impress Haruhi.

Had she noticed Mori's expression then, Haruhi would have realised that she too, was able to bring out Mori's seldom seen but sincere smile.

**~To be continued~**

**A/N:** Hello all! It's tough to end on a cliffhanger all the time so I'll make this chapter an exception. Again, please be patient for the next update.

Is this dragging on for too long? Are my descriptions not vivid enough? Let me know k =) Last but not least, thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary: **A closure with Mori in the library and Ranka's thoughts.

**Chapter 5**

A nagging voice at the back of Haruhi's mind reminded her that laughing hysterically was not the best course of action to take when faced with such a situation. It might not have been so funny if Mori had replied yes to reading those books and did some justification for his secret hobby, but his action of pushing the books away with that stoic expression had been simply... priceless.

Haruhi found it hard to think about anything but Mori's unintentionally comical actions. Still, once she had diligently placed the ridiculous prospect at a hidden corner of her mind, it did not take her long to put bits and pieces of his behavior together and come to a probable conclusion.

Haruhi hastily wiped her eyes and checked that her contacts were still in place (they always gave her trouble when she was worked up) before testing out her suspicion.

"Have you by any chance," she stopped, searching for the right words, "been put up to this by someone?"

His awkwardness, not to mention the embarrassing blunder as well as the sigh of relief were very un-Mori-ish characteristics and Haruhi, though no psychologist, could easily pick those up.

Mori looked surprised for a fleeting moment before admitting quietly with an air of guilt, " Yes. ".

There was a stifling pause during which Haruhi blinked in anticipation and Mori looked grimly at the neighbouring empty tables.

He then proceeded to give a brief account (for Mori was a man of few words) of how Honey had pleaded with him on the way home the day before to approach Haruhi and pose the question. Honey's intention had been to help Haruhi solve the mystery though Mori personally did not think asking such a question would serve any effects.

The recollection of the tantrum Honey had threatened to throw should Mori decline the favour was plainly seen on the taller host's face as he ended his recount with a severely distressed expression, supporting his head with his fist.

It was a pitiful sight, to see the 'wild type' so tamed by the 'cute' and Haruhi felt sorry for asking a question which invoked such painful memories. Still, she couldn't resist asking another.

" Has Honey-senpai allowed you to tell me all these too?"

Apprehension surfaced on Mori's face. " He did not specifically instruct me not to, though I am not allowed to disclose the identity of the mysterious person. "

"You had known about it all along?"

First was Honey, then Kaoru and now Mori. It appeared that almost the entire host club had been in the know right from the start, leaving the poor and helpless victim to be the only ignorant one. Haruhi felt a flash of anger at having the most important information known to others but withheld from her.

"B-but Mori-senpai, you told me before that you did not see anyone leave the room where I fell asleep!"

" I was simply answering your question, " for the second time time in that afternoon, Mori showed his smile. " It is true that I did not see anyone leave, however, I did see him enter the room. " He gave the slightest shrug of shoulders.

Haruhi was flabbergasted. There was more to the tall and silent third year senior than it meets the eye.

"I hope that you will be able to figure out your feelings towards the others soon, this is a good time as any."

Mori bowed as he left the wide eyed girl at the table, carrying off the books.

_Wha-what was that? _Haruhi shook her head and was sorely tempted to bang her head against the cool marble table, if not for the curious stares of a few other students who had inched closer during the course of the conversation.

_I had better get home and prepare dinner. _She thought darkly.

-o-

Dinner was a quiet affair in the Fujioka household since Ranka worked the night shift on a daily basis and returned only in the wee hours of the next day, dead on his feet.

Haruhi wiped the last plate dry and placed it back on the rack. She entered the living room and sat down at the table, preparing to start on the assignments. The next day happened to be a club activity day so it would be wise to clear the school work due in a few days time.

The weather had been fairly cooperative these few days, not even a slight drizzle to dampen the spell of sunny weather. She nudged the box of bright yellow ear plugs which had fallen out of her school bag and into view back into it's proper place.

Tamaki had insisted on her keeping at least a pair by her side in case of emergency situations where she was alone in a room which was not sound resistant when the thunderstorm struck.

Still the act of concern appeared overboard when Tamaki personally sent right to her doorstep, a carton of high quality earplugs a few days after knowing of her phobia.

_This must be a common thing among rich people with too much time on their hands. _Haruhi mused, recalling how the twins had done the same after the holiday job incident at her uncle's vacation house.

Before Tamaki's suggestion, it had never occurred to Haruhi to purchase earplugs to keep the terrifying boom of the thunder out. She had tried turning up the volume of the radio or television to the maximum but it never did work.

Ranka always did his best to ease Haruhi's fears and he made it a point to rush home from wherever he was whenever there was a thunderstorm. Still, he almost always arrived too late, only to find her curled up in a ball with her eyes clenched shut under the table, in the closet or shivering under two layers of futon, even.

It broke her father's heart to see Haruhi in that state and he became an avid fan of the weather forecast in the news despite it being unreliable.

There was a limit to what Ranka could do for his daughter and he knew it. Some things which lie under a father's responsibility should, and will be transferred to the husband in due time.

However, the mere thought of handing his precious Haruhi over to a rich bastard made Ranka want to tear out his hair, and that of the rich bastard too. Such was his initial reaction when Kyoya updated him regarding Haruhi's adventures in the host club over the phone.

Kyoya had very firmly and politely declined to reveal the culprit's identity. Along with a few subtle but well placed threats and countless reassurances that Haruhi was not about to get violated by any of the host club members, Ranka accepted the state of matters with a resigned sigh.

The responsibilities of a parent weighed heavily upon him. Was he not supposed to barge in during the club activities and demand to have a duel with the audacious host who dared to claim Haruhi's lips? While she was asleep, no less!

Ranka, using all his fatherly and womanly instincts, concluded that it could very well be Kyoya. It seemed just like the shadow king to play his cards early, informing and getting into the father-in-law's good books, staying in the dark while manipulating events.

That idiotic Tamaki was also a very possible suspect. It was obvious to all but Tamaki and Haruhi that he was deeply infatuated with Haruhi. Even Ranka, who had met Tamaki not more than thrice, could tell without trouble. The hostility Ranka had showed Tamaki every time they met was due to the adoration for Haruhi which seemed to ooze out from every inch of the blond and Tamaki's oblivion to it.

Ranka figured that it would not take much longer for Tamaki to break out of his father-daughter facade. The question was if Tamaki had already taken a step forward, or still deluded about his feelings. The second scenario would take Tamaki straight out of the race because first impressions matter a lot to Haruhi; she's the kind to settle for whoever first touches her heart.

Judging from Haruhi's behaviour the past few days, the kiss has indeed awoken previously burried feelings.

And that was the significance of the kiss.

**~To be continued~**

**A/N: **I was up to my neck with work and university stuff.. and other than that,** t**here's no good excuse I can come up with for the long break, so I shall blame it on procastination. -Apologizes-

This is kinda a transition chapter, so bear with the lack of excitement XD Thank you for reading and review please, I love reading your comments =D

Based on these five chapters, who do you feel is the most likely suspect?


	6. Chapter 6

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary: **A little fatherly love, realisations on Haruhi's part and Hikaru finally does something in this chapter.

**Chapter 6**

It was one in the morning when Ranka finally reached home after an exhausting night at work. As usual, except when he was too tipsy to care, Ranka closed the front door softly and made his way quietly towards kitchen to get a glass of water.

He noticed that the lights in the living room were still on and looked around in alarm, his fatigue disappearing in that one moment. It all made sense when Ranka saw a small figure sprawled over the table top. Haruhi had fallen asleep while studying, it happened sometimes when she was overwhelmed with work.

This scene made Ranka swell with pride at how hard Haruhi was studying. He never once had to tell his daughter to do her homework. Though Ranka was secretly sad at being deprived of the chance to be a nagging parent (for life was all about experiencing things), his diligent daughter always made his fellow colleagues green with envy and that was, to Ranka, worth missing the experience for.

Walking on the tip of his toes towards the table, Ranka peered affectionately at Haruhi's sleeping face, like a father looking at his new born child for the first time through the glass windows.

_Oh my poor, tired Haruhi, poor daughter! So tired from all that studying! _Ranka examined the unmoving figure in front of him and randomly checked for signs of breathing. When he failed to detect any movement after what seemed like eternity when only five seconds had passed, the paranoid father immediately jumped to a conclusion.

_Has Haruhi fainted! Maybe she did not fall asleep, but actually fell into a coma! _

At least a hundred of such morbid thoughts ran through Ranka's mind as he stared in horror at his unconscious daughter while anxiously wringing his hands. Just as he was about to shake his daughter, whose life might be in great danger, awake, Haruhi gave out a very timely snore and continued her slumber.

The ghastly horror music which had been playing in a loop in Ranka's head died away and was replaced by a soothing and tinkling tune most commonly heard in music boxes.

_Ahh that scared me so much! And our Haruhi does looks quite sweet even when she's sleeping._

Ranka gently patted his daughter's head and then gave her a quick peck on the forehead. There was no reason to let the rich bastard be the only one to kiss Haruhi while she slept. Ranka pouted at the thought.

The next moment, Haruhi opened her eyes and Ranka froze with the pout still on his face.

"Dad? You could have just asked while I was awake.." she rubbed her forehead and gave a small smile.

"Ahhh nothing Haruhi! You fell asleep at the table, so I was just going to wake you up but... then I-"

"Ara?" Haruhi pushed herself up using her elbows and stood up, realising that she had also drooled a little on the book she had been reading before dozing off. Embarrassed that he had been caught in the act, Ranka scurried off to the kitchen. Haruhi rubbed her eyes, yawned and went to prepare for bed.

With her mind still clouded with sleep and being exceptionally slow at such things, the strong sense of deja vu did not surface until Haruhi was done brushing her teeth and stepped into her bed. The realisation came so suddenly, as a shock and cleared her mind of all drowsiness.

If she had opened her eyes immediately after feeling the kiss in the third music room, who would she have seen in front of her? There was no answering that question which she had been trying to solve for the past days. So placing the unknown aside for the time being, the next question Haruhi threw at herself made a blush rise to her cheeks in record time; _who do I wish to see back there?_

Haruhi hugged her knees to her chest and curled up in bed. Honestly, Tamaki had been the first and only to appear in her mind and Haruhi suddenly found herself trying to decipher Tamaki's behaviour and what he felt towards her. There was a stab in Haruhi's heart as she pictured Tamaki's smiling face and the pain only intensified when she recalled the countless times he had embraced her and went out of his way to do so much for this poor cross dressing commoner.

_The host club is Tamaki senpai's family and he calls me his daughter. It's only natural that he shows so much care and concern for me._

_It's enough to have one father, I don't need another._

So why was her heart throbbing so irregularly and painfully?

Kaoru had kissed her so abruptly during break the day before, after suggesting that he was the one who had delivered the kiss the first time round. So was he the one then? And what if he was speaking the truth? Haruhi thought about his golden brown eyes when he put his face so close to hers and quickly shook her head to clear the mental image. Kaoru had not made any more reference to the kiss after the incident and behaved as if nothing had happened. Perhaps it was just a joke and nothing more.

Haruhi tossed and turned in her bed; it was going to be a long night.

She considered going back to her books, forfeiting sleep totally and was just about to reach for her bag when she recalled the package of lavender tea from the twins. Hikaru had not specifically said that it would help with insomnia but it was worth a try, regardless.

The warm and fragrant tea smelt and felt really inviting, though the pale purple of the tea, meant to portray serenity and elegance, was more of a put off because Haruhi used an orange cup. Her father had fallen into a death sleep and from past experiences, would not rise till noon at the very least, so Haruhi enjoyed the tea alone and went back to bed. This time, she fell asleep within minutes.

-o-

The tea proved to be as effective as Hikaru claimed. Haruhi slept soundly till her alarm clock rang and did not feel especially tired despite her disrupted sleep. It dawned on her that the effectiveness of an item sometimes, though not always, justifies it's high price. Still the necessity of such an item was still an area of doubt and Haruhi wondered disapprovingly how much money the twins had spent on the package.

The morning lessons seemed to speed past as Haruhi, being rather hungry, looked forward to lunch.

She found herself being dragged out of the classroom by Hikaru and Kaoru to the school's fanciful cafeteria the moment the bell went off. As usual, Haruhi declined Hikaru's enthusiastic offers to trade his deluxe set A meal with her home made bento and went to find a seat at the extravagant tables while the twins ordered their meals.

Attempting to see where Haruhi would sit, Hikaru turned his head, and saw a second year male student walking towards Haruhi who was standing not far from the tables, most probably selecting one from the few that were available.

Haruhi had her back towards the approaching senior while the senior had his eyes glued to the still boiling bowls of food on the tray he was carrying. It was the perfect scenario for an accident.

And occur it did.

Hikaru has always considered himself blessed; having intellect, looks, wealth and most of all, his special bond with Kaoru. The team he sided with or joined always emerged victorious, almost as if fate and destiny changed to suit his wishes. Hikaru knew that he was getting ahead of himself with these kind of thoughts but life had not disappointed him so far thus he was more than happy to continue his lofty assumptions.

So when Hikaru wished fervently that the senior would walk past Haruhi without any mishap, and as he saw the senior stumble, throwing the steaming bowls of soup off the tray and straight towards Haruhi, the optimism within him all these while broke.

"HARUHI!" he yelled in warning, hoping that she would somehow, miraculously dodge the incoming danger. Alas Haruhi turned instead. With eyes widened in shock, Hikaru stood helplessly as he watched her flinch from the scalding soup and then topple to meet the floor when one of the bowls hit her squarely in the face.

"Hika, what happened!" Kaoru clutched at his brother's arm in alarm and his expression mirrored Hikaru's as he saw Haruhi fall.

The distance of a few meters seemed to take forever to close as they ran towards Haruhi. A crowd had already begun to form and a female student was drying Haruhi's face with a handkerchief when the twins finally reached.

Ignoring the crowd and all the exclamations, Hikaru pushed the female student away and placed his arm behind Haruhi's neck to support her head.

Haruhi was coughing vigorously and with a pang in his heart, he saw tears streaming out from her eyes which were clenched shut. Hikaru gently lifted Haruhi up, bridal style, and moved as fast as he could in the direction of the infirmary. Kaoru announced that he would run to the infirmary first to inform the medical officers and left them behind.

To the coughing and crying girl in his arms, Hikaru could only whisper repeatedly "Please be alright, Haruhi."

**~To be continued~**

**A/N: **To be honest, I was trying not to laugh while typing the part where the bowl hit poor Haruhi in the face. It has been a tough chapter to complete and I was feeling unwell so this largely explains the long break. -kowtows-

As usual, thanks a million for reading and please leave a review to let me know what I can improve on. Not enough description? Too much drama? Let me know please =)

P.S. The spell check function at the edit section doesn't seem to work(!) and it's my only hope so pardon any typos please T_T


	7. Chapter 7

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary: **Haruhi and Hikaru calling each other stubborn.

**Chapter 7**

She felt a trembling hand wipe the wetness off her face with a cloth of some kind- a handkerchief perhaps, but it did little for the irritation in her eyes. No, it was more than just an irritation. The discomfort in her eyes were bothering her so much more than the burning sensation on her face and her throbbing left cheek which took the full impact of the flying bowl.

As a natural reflex to the violent coughing and foreign materials in her eye, she teared at an amazing rate. This was much to the horror of the students around who thought that Haruhi was in terrible agony and close to departing from the world.

"Argh, these terrible contact lens!" Haruhi gasped only to have her rant come out garbled when she choked on a stray glob of saliva and soup (accidentally went into her mouth) as it threatened to go down her upper airway.

It was in the middle of her coughing fit that Haruhi felt someone lift her up.

Disorientated, she peered at the face through the tears. _Hikaru? Or Kaoru... No, definitely Hikaru._

Just for a moment, Haruhi wondered if this was how the girls in the shoujo manga felt when they were rescued. Like savouring hot cream or snuggling into a toasty bed on a cold day, the girlish delight of being protected was overwhelming.

The feeling of the wind and undried tears on her face soothed the scald. It felt strange to be carried, to move while lying in someone's arms; the perspective was all wrong.

"Hikaru, please put me down now, I'm fine already." Haruhi said in a raspy voice. She coughed and wiped her sleeve across her eyes in a way which made Hikaru tighten his embrace, holding Haruhi closer to himself as he half ran to the infirmary.

"If the pain is unbearable, don't hold back your tears."

Haruhi looked up at the boy who was panting slightly from covering all that distance while carrying a heavy dead weight.

She sighed inwardly at his stubbornness as usual, but it felt strangely comforting to have people fussing over her. _Showing concern without going overboard. _Haruhi corrected herself, because Ranka always made a big fuss over the slightest cut or cough and that was definitely not charming.

Still there was just a thin boundary separating acceptable and excessive concern and Hikaru over stepped the line as he ignored Haruhi's struggles to get down when they approached the infirmary door and insisted on carrying her all the way to a bed.

Haruhi gave an exasperated sigh.

He set her down on the king size bed and stepped back, never looking away from frail and flustered figure as the doctor and nurses crowded over to inspect their extremely embarrassed and reluctant patient for what seemed like ages.

She sat up immediately after they left and leaned back on the pillow propped against the wall, an icepack held to her cheek. As if tired from all the attention she had been receiving, Haruhi closed her eyes.

Hikaru approached and knelt at the side of the bed, looking up at Haruhi with a pained expression. It was partly his fault that Haruhi got hit in the face. If only he hadn't dragged Haruhi to eat with them, or called out her name as the senior tripped... or even left her to look for a table alone.

"Are you still in pain?" he reached out with deliberate slowness and wiped off the moisture at the corner of her eye. Haruhi blinked at the contact.

"No, the pain only lasted for a while when I was still in the cafeteria."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You were crying buckets the entire time." Hikaru pointed out. "Stop being so stubborn, why can't you just admit that you were suffering and let me know how I can make you feel better!"

Haruhi was alarmed at the outburst. "I choked on some soup and my contacts went out of place, my tear glands were activated not because I was in pain." She looked annoyed.

The seconds slowly ticked by and they both endured the uncomfortable silence, unable to find anything to erase the awkwardness.

"I didn't mean it that way, and I shouldn't be yelling at an injured patient." Hikaru bit his lips and looked down, "I'm sorry."

It was going the wrong way, he was just trying to assure Haruhi that he would be there to ease her pain but ended up aggravating her instead. Kaoru was going to be so mad at him for doing something like this.

"Well, if you insist.. I'd like a bowl of what the senior was carrying, tomato soup I think."

Hikaru's mouth dropped open. Ultimately, it all boiled down to food.

"Some of the soup got into my mouth and it tasted great! So I'd really like to enjoy a bowl of the soup under normal circumstances rather than have it thrown at my face." She winced at the memory.

Haruhi prodded her still reddish left cheek absent mindedly, trying to recall what she did with her precious bento box during the accident.

"And my bento please, I think I dropped it in the cafeteria."

Hikaru realised yet again that the influence of food on Haruhi was not to be taken lightly as she rambled on about the horror, should the school cleaners throwing her home made lunch away.

He couldn't help laughing affectionately at Haruhi's insignificant worries. It wasn't an open and free laugh, for something was bugging Hikaru. Something he had been planning and lost sleep over. The opportunity presented itself but he was not ready yet.

"Where's Kaoru?" Haruhi asked. She had given up holding the icepack to her cheek and had taken to squish the liquid around in the plastic packet instead.

"Strange.. I wonder where he went; he should be here after informing the infirmary staff."

"Aren't you going to look for him then?" Haruhi suggested after a minute of silence, with Hikaru fiddling with the white bedsheets.

It was a good time to leave. _Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time._

Twice, he had left Haruhi in search for his brother. After a quarrel during the set-up date at the vacation house, and again during the Halloween event.

Hikaru had run off to find Kaoru immediately after being released from the net trap at that time, leaving Haruhi in the dark hallway. She wasn't surprised, of course. Haruhi had already known the strength of the bond between the brothers. Hikaru would feel uncomfortable if he were away from Kaoru for any period of time, and vice versa. Though she secretly mused that Kaoru would be able to handle the separation better.

How mistaken Haruhi was then, when Hikaru turned out to be the first to officially attempt to include a new element in his life which may weaken the bond with his younger twin.

He smoothen out the sheets. "No. Not now, not this time."

"You know, Haruhi, if I promise to bring you your bento box and a thousand bowls of the soup as well as any other food you crave,"

Haruhi looked quizzedly at the nervous boy kneeling beside her by the bed.

He reached out and took her hand in his firmly, making eye contact for the first time in that minute.

The coldness of her palm quickly warmed under his grasp.

The air she inhaled was electrifying and Haruhi felt a million stings of anticipation which caused her heart to beat erratically. She did nothing to resist his touch nor interrupt his sentence.

"Will you please consider going out with me?"

There was no way she could have misinterpreted Hikaru's question; she had witnessed such scenarios too many times after joining the host club.

As if to clarify his proposition, Hikaru continued, "I really like you."

Haruhi tightened her hold on his hand and took a deep breath.

**~To be continued~**

**A/N: **THANKS FOR READING, PEEPS! And sorry for the long wait. Please review to keep me happy and help me improve my writing XD

I'll be flying overseas tonight, my room is really in a mess with all that clothes and luggage, plus my mum keeps calling me in the middle of my writing arrrgh!

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Anyone spotted the arab proverb from The Alchemist? =D Love ya all!


	8. Chapter 8

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary: **Dedicated to all who run away when things get awkward. Hey, this doesn't qualify as a summary -_-

**Chapter 8**

Her eyes were still watery as she met Hikaru's gaze. His hands, so much bigger than hers, held her left hand tightly and were trembling ever so slightly.

Running through Haruhi's mind were the lessons in dealing with confessions she had received (courtesy of the twins) a few weeks after she had taken up the position of a host, when the confessions started flooding in. It was a rather simple procedure, really.

"_Make a joke," _Hikaru had instructed, _"just a short one, then move on the the actual reply."._

"_Of course, if the girl does interest you, it's alright to follow your heart too." _Hikaru and Kaoru had both placed an arm on her shoulders and grinned slyly at each other over her head.

Haruhi took in an extra deep breath.

"Are you trying to bribe me with food?" she asked and let out the rest of the inhaled air in a single puff, "It won't always work, you know...".

The creaking and clicking of the gears in poor Hikaru's mind were almost audible as he struggled to interpret Haruhi's words in terms of a simple 'yes' or 'no' .

Despite having planned to confess, Hikaru had never dared to allow himself to imagine how Haruhi would reply. As such, his clouded mind worked painfully and slowly to work out what she had just said.

Bribe... food... _always_ work.

That meant it might work. There was definitely hesitation in how her sentence trailed off; Haruhi was actually tempted.

Amidst the all that brainless adrenaline and little explosions of happiness in his heart, a sane voice screamed shrilly at Hikaru that it was all going in the wrong direction yet again.

He let out a choked sound as Haruhi opened her mouth once more to speak.

"WAIT. Aren't you going to need some time to think this through?" Hikaru sputtered and looked so terrified that it was comparable to oh-great-Mori's undefeatable distraught expression.

"I.. I'm serious about my feelings for you but I don't want you to become my girl friend because of food."

Hikaru gave himself a mental whack for saying such a thing the moment the words were out of his mouth.

Haruhi had not agreed and neither was she the kind of person who did things she didn't like just because of food or bribes. Not something as important as this. Threats might work though, seeing how Tamaki had successfully proclaimed her as the club's underdog after Kyoya mentioned his secret police force.

He had honestly meant the first part of the confession to be a joke, mostly. But he felt so uncertain and helpless in getting his feelings across that whatever tempted Haruhi's taste buds very naturally became part of the confession.

Which was causing Hikaru a lot of trouble as half of his consciousness wished to throw in more bait to convince her while the other half dreaded hearing her answer any time soon. Preferable never, if it was going to be a negative one.

"Please take some time to consider this!" He dropped Haruhi's hand like a hot potato and sprinted towards the door with a -I'll get your things from the cafeteria!-, almost colliding with a startled doctor as she made her way over to see what the commotion was about.

-o-

It was a head scratching moment for Kaoru when he finally found Hikaru clutching at his hair, face down on the cafeteria table mumbling "I blackmailed her using her bento box... she took it as a threat...".

Kaoru studied his brother for a minute, "Oh." he said simply as the incident was revealed bit by bit through largely incoherent babbling.

Watching Kaoru drag a devastated Hikaru back to the classroom, the cook shook her head sadly at Hikaru's hysterical behaviour when she broke it to him apologetically that they were out of the soup of the day.

_My, my... Rich kids sure are getting stranger these days._

-o-

Haruhi sat at the foot of the bed and wriggled her toes while looking around for her shoes which had been taken off by a kind soul when she was laid on the bed. The floor was cold, even through her socks. She decided that it was about time she returned to class; the coughing had subsided and her face felt fine.

There was a sudden gush of wind as the door flew open without warning. The intruder froze at the door as he caught sight of a startled Haruhi who was getting off the bed, then rapidly approached her in big strides.

Her heart stopped, then resumed beating in at a frantic rate as he came to a stop before her placed both palms against her cheeks. "I thought you were knocked unconscious!"

Haruhi stared at the beautiful amethyst eyes which were inspecting her face for wounds, not that he would ever find any just by observation. When was the last time she looked so closely at Tamaki?

There was nothing much she could say, "I'm fine."

It came out weakly.

"You're fine? Kaoru said he saw you drop to the ground!" He moved his hands to her shoulders, giving Haruhi a gentle shake, reminding her that she wasn't taking sufficient care of herself. "I almost dropped dead myself when I heard that!"

"I've already gotten Kyoya to contact a doctor who should be coming by soon." Tamaki's expression softened. "Haruhi, please get a thorough check and make sure that you really are fine."

Before she could protest and get another 'I'm fine' out of her mouth, he pulled her in for an awkward hug with him bending down and her still sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Haruhi, you have no idea how worried I was."

With her chin caught against his shoulder, Haruhi was unable to respond. Her arms from elbow down were free though, should she push him away for invading her personal space? Return the hug?

An inquisitive little cough chose a really nice time to present itself, resulting in Tamaki jumping back a whole meter at the interruption.

"SORRY HARUHI!" Tears glistened in his violet eyes, "It wasn't my intention to suffocate you!" Tamaki turned crimson and clasped his mouth with a trembling hand, horrified at the sin he had committed.

_That was sooo cool, Tamaki senpai. _Haruhi resisted the desire to burst out laughing and ended up scoffing at the senior instead. _But somehow.. I find your uncoolness so endearing._

A breeze had entered through the open door and ruffled the curtains which flapped silently against the windows, throwing flashing rays of light onto Tamaki's face and hair.

Haruhi bit her lips.

"That day.. in the third music room."

She needed to know so badly. Ever since the day she had been kissed, the urge to know had only been increasing with each passing day.

"The kiss, was it from you?" It was now or never.

"Huh.. kiss.. no way!" Haruhi glanced at Tamaki, feeling her heart sink down to her knees.

"This is terrible!" he gasped

There was genuine terror on the blond's face and flailing his arms wildly, he disappeared from the room.

Haruhi sat there, without her shoe and stared at the door.

Seconds ticked by.

Yet another minute passed.

If it were possible for the organ to disappear completely, Haruhi would have thought her heart was close to contracting into nothingness. For with each beat it pumped, Haruhi felt her heart shrink. Just like her hope.

No, she had not hoped for Tamaki to be the one, she was not hoping for anyone in particular. At least, not consciously.

She was an idiot to even think that Tamaki would kiss her, hadn't she already dismissed that possibility earlier on anyway?

She had assumed too much.

Now this ache was far more unbearable, but she could not and would not cry.

As Tamaki had told her to, Haruhi remained in the infirmary and fell numbly back down on the bed to wait for the Ootori doctor.

**~To be continued~**

**A/N: **How was this chapter? I've only thought of putting a poll in my profile to let readers guess who the kisser was. A wee bit late since the story is ending in.. approx 2 chapters, so I dumped the idea in the end.

Yep, not long now so please review! Thanks to all who have reviewed and subscribed and faved this story! I really appreciate your all support mucho!


	9. Chapter 9

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary: **After thoughts, during the host club and Kyoya makes his move.

**Chapter 9**

No doubt, someone had kissed her, but it was not him. Her dejection was crushing and after second thoughts, Haruhi told herself that it was useless to deny that she had hoped for the person to be Tamaki.

There was also little point in trying to find a proper adjective to describe her feelings.

'Confused' was the best she could come up with but it did not cover the disappointment which was eating away at her chest. Haruhi figured that she must have liked Tamaki more than she thought, for his denying the kiss to have such an impact.

Strange that she had realised it in such a situation, after being coldly pushed away. Of all the times he had reached out, made her smile because of his idiocy and embraced her, Haruhi's affection towards Tamaki only became clear to herself when he ran away.

At the very least, it saved her from becoming too flustered, thanks to a blanket of numbness which had settled itself over Haruhi as she chided herself for being so silly.

"_Huh.. Kiss.. no way! This is terrible!" and he ran away like a mad man, waving his arms around. _

"Stupid, idiotic, dramatic Tamaki..." Haruhi thought sadly, "Nincompoop..."

The name of a disney princess who had unfortunately lost her glass slippers came to mind after a moment.

What if Cinderella left the ball at midnight and returned to her original life, only to discover that the prince she had danced with neither picked up her glass shoes nor tried to locate her?

Then Cinderella only had her own carelessness and herself to blame for assuming that the prince was desperate to find the girl he had danced with, provided he had even noticed the heels she had dropped, of course.

But her situation was not similar to Cinderella's, other than missing her footwear, which was not technically lost but placed some where unknown and could be easily retrieved if she asked the infirmary staff.

In fact, Haruhi was more like the prince than Cinderella, going around searching for the person who had kissed her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know who that idiot was anymore.

Strangely enough in the end, it was the Ootori doctor who located Haruhi's trusty sneakers and brought them to her after the check up, before leaving. He was a friendly guy, very observant, assuring but would no doubt report to Kyoya her cholesterol level and blood pressure up to the last decimal place.

Now there was no way for Haruhi to leave school early because Kyoya would have known from the report that she was not injured and physically fit for club activities. Also, it was not a good idea to be absent from club activities unless she was really unwell. The entire host club would most probably pay her a visit at home if she were to do that.

Haruhi felt her mood improve marginally as she left the infirmary and made her way to the classrooms.

Besides, she was one step closer to identifying the perpetrator with Tamaki out of the picture.

Though it was a picture she now lost motivation to complete; a mystery she no longer desired to solve.

-o-

The Third Music Room was flooded with customers, even more so that day since the beloved natural type host was caught in an accident in the canteen, and bad news spread fast.

Big fat droplets of tears threatened to spill out of his eyes as he looked imploringly up at Haruhi.

Only, he wasn't trying to beg Haruhi for a favour.

"H-Haaaruuuu chaaan~!" came the distressed wail.

Honey started displaying one of the greatest wonders of the host club- a man made waterfall from his eyes, burying his face in her jacket as he hugged her tightly. Usa-chan was left sadly neglected under Mori's care.

In that emotional moment, all the female students in the Third Music room clutched at each other for support and some cried at the touching scene.

Haruhi thought Mori looked odd and awkward with Usa-chan on his knee, not that it didn't suit him, in a ticklish way. Not as well as Honey, in any way.

Mori placed his hand gently on Honey's back.

"Mitsukuni," He started in his unintentionally sexy and soothing voice.

"..., ..." and continued silently.

The velocity of the flowing tears decreased and eventually stopped. Honey sniffed and rubbed his eyes, determined to be strong for the sake of his beloved cousin.

The mass intake of breath was simultaneous, as were the ear-piercing squeals and screams which erupted a second later.

"KYYYYAAAAAAAA~~~" went the extremely imaginative female population at Mori's unspoken 'there, there'.

It was honestly funny to watch, though Haruhi was also indirectly involved in what seemed to be a situation hinting indiscreetly at boy love in the eyes of the female customers, much to their raving delight.

Haruhi was not immune to Honey's charms, wooden as she was; he was just too adorable with watery eyes, crying and hiccuping against her arm like a pitiful little puppy. Never mind that the puppy was a martial arts expert and graduating from high school in a few months time.

"It wasn't painful at all, Honey senpai!"

Honey had gone into his impossibly pitiful mode (as compared to the maximum cute default) when Haruhi recounted the part where the bowl made contact with her face. Knowledge of the trigger was certainly helpful; she just had to convince that sobbing senior that it now where near as painful as his imaginations or Kaoru's wildly exaggerated version of her fall.

"Really? But Kao-chan said that Hika-chan had to fly you to the infirmary because you were unconscious and-"

It seemed that Kaoru had been spinning a heroic tale of his brother rescuing a critically injured Haruhi in distress. It wouldn't have made anymore difference even if he added in details like the shriek Haruhi let out when she fell or her bleeding profusely from the eyes, nose, ears and mouth.

Haruhi glared, under a pretense of an appreciative smile, at Kaoru who was seated with Hikaru and their designators a few tables and sofas away. He returned it with an enthusiastic wave and a wink.

Hikaru, on the other hand, did not notice the exchange as he was staring blankly at the table. Concerned female designators were trying desperately to engage him and practically begging Kaoru to do something to revive his unresponsive twin brother.

Stealing a glance at Tamaki, Haruhi felt herself tensing up and that familiar ache in her chest.

How could she not have noticed it before? The attention, affection and aid he had so generously given to her had all been taken for granted. She wished so much to do something for him.

Tamaki smiled at the dreamy blush of the female student before him and proceeded to refill her cup.

Typical of a shoujo manga scenario, he chose that moment to look up and caught Haruhi's gaze. The reaction was immediate in that instance their eyes met; the senior turned a brilliant red to complement his golden hair and comically spilt the coffee meant for his princess.

Dark brown eyes widened and quickly looked away, while violet eyes blinked furiously in embarrassment.

Haruhi had never known that watching someone pouring coffee could make her pulse quicken so much and Honey chose that moment to let loose another cry of 'Haaaruu-chaaan~', radiating sad looking little bunnies, which set off another round of squeals from their audience.

-o-

"I'd like to speak to you after club activities, Haruhi."

Haruhi turned and blinked in surprise when she saw the tall and slim figure at the entrance of the storage room, one arm propped casually against the door frame.

There was just too much crying and tearing going on and Haruhi decided that it was best to grab some tissue from the preparation area.

Arms full with stacks of paper towels, she walked towards Kyoya, "May I ask what for?"

"You can say it's regarding your health, and some things which have taken place recently."

A piece of towel floated down from the stack as Haruhi stopped abruptly in her tracks. Kyoya reached out and caught it without much trouble. He returned it, an unreadable smile forming as he offered to take half of Haruhi's load.

Then again, any expression would look mysterious on Kyoya's face.

He stepped to the side, holding the door open.

Haruhi nodded wordlessly and bit her lips as they made their way out together.

"I'll see you later then." Kyoya flashed a charming smile at Haruhi and the hyperventilating girls around the table and left for the other end of the room.

And so it started with Kyoya's simple request, but ended very differently, in a way which Haruhi least expected.

**~To be continued~**

**A/N: **That was my first official attempt at trying to describe Kyoya, hope I didn't make him sound like a psychopath hehe.

Just a question, do subscribers receive an email when the author edits and re-uploads a past chapter? Cos I've spotted things I wish to make changes to in the previous chatpers but am afraid of flooding innocent readers with emails.

Thank you so much for your fantastic reviews and please keep them coming in!


	10. Chapter 10

**The Stolen Kiss**

**Summary: **The KyoHaru confrontation.

**Chapter 10**

It was impossible to focus on anything but what Kyoya had said for the rest of the afternoon. As such, it sped by without any further hiccups.

Kyoya placed a thin envelope on the table before Haruhi. The scene was oddly formal with the two each taking an end of the rectangular coffee table.

"As mentioned, here is your health report,"

A logo of the Ootori medical service was printed in a corner of the glossy paper.

"and it has not been opened." he continued as Haruhi gave him an incredulous look. She reached out warily to take the envelope.

Haruhi vaguely recalled having a syringe of her blood taken as part of the check up. She glanced briefly at her hands and realised that there was indeed a small see through plaster at the back of her left palm. It must have taken quite a bit of worrying and distraction for the plaster to go unnoticed. Then again, Haruhi did not consider herself a particularly observant girl, as long as the wound caused no pain or discomfort.

"Thanks, Kyoya senpai." she said, fingering the smooth surface of the envelope. "I didn't know that there was a need for a blood test, though."

"Pardon my saying, but your blood vessels are rather sunken. I believe most doctors have a hard time drawing blood from such patients."

Sure, he had not read her health report but he was aware of things not included in the report. Privacy became an obsolete word when your acquaintance was an Ootori, a Kyoya Ootori in particular. Haruhi wondered sadly about the future of professionalism in the medical field.

"For god's sake, have some confidence in the doctors who do not belong in your hospital!" Haruhi muttered angrily. Her impatience did nothing to lighten her mood. Kyoya, however, seemed to find a hidden amusement in the conversation as his lips curled up involuntarily at Haruhi's retort.

"I probably should give them some credit, considering the low mortality rate in Japan." He agreed with a smile.

Haruhi flipped the document listlessly, eyes glued to the table. She was rejecting his attempts to converse normally, rejecting help while too blind to see an obvious way out.

Kyoya gave an audible sigh and left the table soundlessly.

Something in this sigh caused Haruhi to look up with a jolt in her heart; they were moving on to the next thing Kyoya wished to speak to her about. She was finally going to get an answer.

Neither spoke as she watched him approach.

Kyoya broke the silence.

"I take it that you have neither figured out who kissed you nor really tried to find out who the person was." He shook his head at her hopeless attempts to solve the mystery.

The disapproval in his voice was curt and invoked a defensive reaction in the recipient.

Haruhi's voice rose as she spoke, indignant and stubborn. "I did try, and at the very least, I know that Honey senpai was not the one."

Admittedly, that was not the most impressive findings to announce but Haruhi did not expect the dark haired senior to laugh and sat dumbfounded when he did so. Kyoya's expression softened into a grin as he stopped and leaned against the edge of the table Haruhi was sitting at.

He placed a hand firmly down on the medical report, preventing Haruhi from spinning it or turning it on the table top. "Wouldn't it have been simpler if you had just asked me right at the start?"

"Asked for your help with the... investigation?" Haruhi was reluctant to use such a serious, thus unfitting word but it was the only one which came to mind. The next thing she knew, the police would be involved, lawyers engaged and the case, brought to court.

"No, not for my help," Kyoya smiled, and dazzled, " but you could have asked me who he was."

The lifted eyebrows and quizzed look on her face did so wordlessly.

On hindsight, all the sleepless nights spent pondering and speculating could not have prepare her sufficiently for this moment of reveal.

"I was the one who kissed you, Haruhi."

That was not a question, unlike the time with Kaoru. Kyoya answered calmly with all the certainty of a statement, the intention was to inform, not suggest.

Haruhi found herself on her feet, without the recollection of trying to stand up. She stared wide eyed at Kyoya who was returning her stare, in a thoughtful manner.

Attractive features framed by black hair and glasses which only added to the mysterious charm, that pale and intelligent face was hard to resist. Despite the initial shock, there was this unexplainable desire to remove his light reflecting glasses which were concealing his onyx eyes. Yet, she still felt intimidated by the handsome senior before her.

He spoke again, "Was that really so hard to guess?" and closed the gap between them as Haruhi took an unstable step back.

As most shoujo manga would have it, a wall sprung up right behind our heroine and Haruhi found herself trapped and cornered as Kyoya placed both palms on each side of her head, against the wall. He hunched slightly to keep his gaze level with Haruhi's.

Haruhi was painfully aware that they were alone in the Third Music Room. She had behaved nonchalantly the previous time Kyoya held her in a compromising position, back when she had a fight with Tamaki.

"There's nothing to gain from doing this." Haruhi heard herself blurt out. It sounded like a warning.

That was a bad excuse and she knew it. Ironically back then, ignorance was what allowed her to see that Kyoya was playing the bad guy so that she could understand Tamaki's worries for her safety. On Kyoya's part, he had accepted her point that there was nothing in for him by violating her and left it at that. However, it was wrong to assume that his idea of merit did not include taking advantage of others. Even if the pleasure was at other peoples' expenses.

Kyoya smiled and pushed his glasses up, almost sadly. His fingers paused at the bridge of his nose before returning to the position beside her head.

"Is that really what you think of me?" He asked, looking at Haruhi's flushed face, "Looking for merits in every single thing I do?"

_No, _Haruhi wished to say. The silence pushed uncomfortably on, like the pressure from being underwater for too long. It left a ringing sensation in her ears.

The seconds ticked by. Clearly, he was expecting an answer.

"Honestly Kyoya senpai, yes. I do think that of you."

The expression of shock, characterized by the narrowing of dark eyes behind Kyoya's glasses, was almost instantly replaced by an amused smirk as Haruhi continued.

"You do kinds things unconsciously and then turn back to dig out the merits to justify that your actions were for personal benefits."

Kyoya slowly took his glasses off, closing his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, his eyes traveled lingeringly over Haruhi's face, as if taking her features in and finally stayed fixed on hers. Haruhi stared back, enthralled by the simple motion. She heard a muffled crack when the glasses fell onto the floor.

"Still wrong, but close." as Kyoya's gaze shifted, Haruhi felt a warm finger touch her ear lobe and come to a rest on her cheek. "There are so many points I can think of to prove you wrong."

Her face was warm, too warm.

"But, assuming that I had _unconsciously_ kissed you back then and _unconsciously_ engaged you in this intimate conversation," Haruhi grimaced at his mocking of her choice of word. Drawn in by the dark eyes which bore into hers, Haruhi could not help but listened intently to every word that fell out of Kyoya's mouth.

"Will you believe that the reason behind all these," He spoke slowly, his strained voice low, "is love?"

Heart thumping in her ears, hands shivering by her sides, movement restricted by an alluring senior, it was hard for Haruhi to fully digest what Kyoya had said from the second he admitted to have kissed her.

Still, it was an easy enough question to answer. "I can believe that, but-"

"But it does little to change your feelings." He finished smoothly.

Haruhi nodded. Rejection, made easy by Kyoya himself. Too simple in fact, almost as if he were guiding her intentionally in that direction.

There was a mournful tone in his voice as he spoke softly.

"So why were you so upset over what had happened with Tamaki in the infirmary," Kyoya paused, "if your affection for him has nothing to do with the kiss?"

"I... don't know." She did not know why.

"You were not going to fall in love instantly with the person who had kissed you."

"No."

Things were starting to clear up.

"My point exactly."

**~To be continued~**

**AN: **This was an exceptionally tough chapter because it determines the final direction of the story. Before this chapter, it was still possible to change the pairing, but not anymore. Again, it turned out different from my original plan, as did chapter 6. I guess we'll be having one more chapter (final) and perhaps another to elaborate on certain things in the middle :D Any requests for behind-the-scene elaborations from the previous chapters? Throw them at me!

Meanwhile, thanks for your faves, alerts and reviews, guys! They're absolutely wonderful and a joy to read XD


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